Asian Tsunami: Rehabilitation Funding

Baroness Amos: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Mr Hilary Benn) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The 26 December 2004 tsunami brought destruction to coastal areas of south and south-east Asian countries and claimed over 273,000 lives, leaving millions of people in need of assistance.
	DfID committed £75 million to the immediate relief effort, some £66 million of which has already been allocated to United Nations agencies, the Red Cross movement, and non-governmental organisations, or spent through DfID direct action or donations in kind. The British public has responded with unprecedented generosity to this disaster. Appeals such as that of the Disasters Emergency Committee have had an overwhelming response.
	DfID will now contribute up to £65 million for longer-term rehabilitation and reconstruction. This is likely to be channelled mainly through the trust funds that are being set up in affected countries. Our response will be guided by the findings of needs assessments currently being finalised, and by the level of resources already available to affected countries. Our assistance towards longer-term reconstruction will not be at the expense of DfID funding for other emergencies or existing programmes.

Nepal: Assistance Suspension

Baroness Amos: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr Gareth Thomas) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Earlier today, I informed the government of Nepal that the Department for International Development was ending support to Nepal's police, prison services and the Prime Minister's office. A total of £2.4 million had been committed but £1.3 million remains unspent and will now be cancelled.
	This follows the dismissal of the Government by King Gyanendra of Nepal on 1 February. Since then, the UK Government have been carrying out an initial assessment of the implications for our development partnership with Nepal. Assistance will continue to be kept under review.
	The criteria against which decisions on DfID assistance are made are the ability to make an effective contribution towards the millennium development goals and the safety and security of staff. We need to ensure that our programmes can continue to benefit poor and excluded people in Nepal. It is vital that the government of Nepal maintain agreed financial allocations to essential development services, such as health and education, and not divert them to other purposes.
	Along with the rest of the international donor community, the safety and welfare of staff carrying out development programmes, especially those in the field, is of paramount importance. We will not continue programmes in the face of increased and unacceptable risk or interference. The UK has called on both parties to the violent conflict in Nepal to ensure that the international community can continue to provide the development assistance that is needed to provide essential services to the poor. The Department for International Development will press for concrete measures by both sides to affirm that they will do everything in their power to safeguard poverty reduction programmes and staff.
	We are deeply concerned about human rights in Nepal and will continue to work with others in the international community to encourage democracy in Nepal, the full protection of human rights by both parties to the conflict and progress towards a peace process.

Finance Bill

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: My right honourable friend the Paymaster General (Dawn Primarolo) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	It is expected that the Finance Bill will be published on Thursday 24 March. Explanatory notes on the Bill's clauses will be available in the Vote Office (the Printed Paper Office in the House of Lords) and the Libraries of both Houses on that day. The explanatory notes will be available from Stationery Office bookshops and on the Treasury's website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.

DCMS: Five-Year Plan

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I am publishing today the department's five-year plan, Living Life to the Full. Copies will be deposited in the House Libraries and the plan will be available on the DCMS website.
	The plan sets our course for the next five years and builds on the significant progress that we have made in recent years. It sets out our achievements, our goals and the practical steps we will take to achieve them in the years ahead.
	The fabric of this country and the quality of life we all experience are improving rapidly. The average proportion of household income spent on leisure nearly doubled between 1977 and 2002. We all expect more choice and higher quality. At the same time, opportunities are expanding to enjoy the arts, visit museums and galleries, to play sport, to travel, access the world's best media and prosper in the creative industries.
	We have come a long way. In 2001 we introduced free admission to national museums and galleries—resulting in a record number of visits—34 million last year. Creative Partnerships—bringing the experience and stimulation of culture to young people in deprived areas—will see 450,000 young people involved by this time next year. We recently published the BBC Green Paper setting out the framework for a strong BBC independent of government. We are investing £1 billion in sports facilities to benefit every community. Working in partnership with the Department for Education and Skills we have ensured that more than a half of all children in school do a weekly minimum of two hours PE and school sport, which is up from a quarter in 2002. We are putting our wholehearted support behind London's bid to bring the Olympics to this country in 2012.
	But there are still too many people who do not know about the opportunities available to them or who are not able to afford the cost of their talent: parents who cannot afford to support their children in making the most of their creativity and skills; adults who do not know how to get involved in local cultural and sporting opportunities; and young people who miss out on formative experiences.
	In the plan we make 10 commitments covering the key areas where the department, working together with our partners in our sponsored bodies, in local government, in the voluntary and private sectors, can make a real difference.
	We will work to build a comprehensive offer to young people on culture—known as Creative Sparks. We will review how National Lottery money has been spent so far on arts, sport, heritage and film projects, and then consult about how proceeds should be spent in these areas after 2009. We will continue to improve our support for élite athletes, rewarding success with the talented athlete and 2012 scholarships. We will persuade nearly half a million adults per year to become physically active. We will complete our programme to replace outdated licensing and gambling laws, balancing personal freedom and prosperity with strengthening protection for the vulnerable. We will provide a virtual high-street for tourism and leisure offering an information and booking service to on-line users.
	The title of the plan is Living Life to the Full. Quite simply that is what our sectors can offer—the ability for everyone to live their lives and develop their talents to the fullest extent. So the aim of our five year plan is straightforward, yet ambitious—making the quality of life in this country world-class and giving everyone the chance to taste it.

Company Law Reform

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I am pleased to announce that we are today publishing a White Paper setting out proposals for a Company Law Reform Bill.
	These proposals result from a comprehensive review of company law, which we initiated in 1998. In 2001 we received the final report from the Company Law Review, an independent group of experts, practitioners and business people. The White Paper also takes account of international and other developments. We are very grateful for the input of a wide range of interested parties into the proposals we are bringing forward today.
	The White Paper sets out a range of measures designed to further four crucial objectives: to enhance shareholder engagement and a long term investment culture; to ensure better regulation and a "think small first" approach; to make it easier to set up and run a company; and to provide flexibility for the future.
	The proposals are part of a wider programme of action to facilitate enterprise, encourage investment and promote long-term company performance. We brought forward legislation to strengthen regulation of the accounting and audit profession and to allow a new type of community enterprise company. We have laid draft regulations for quoted companies to produce an operating and financial review and we have introduced greater transparency by quoted companies on directors' remuneration. We have taken smaller companies out of the need for an audit. We have also worked with market participants to strengthen corporate governance and shareholder engagement.
	The measures set out in the White Paper represent a significant step forward in .ensuring that our law remains up to date, flexible, and accessible for all those who use it. By making company law better fitted to today's realities, the measures should create improved performance across the economy as a whole. They could also produce cost savings for business of some £250 million a year. The proposals will help to ensure that Britain remains one of the best places in the world to set up and run a business.

NHS: Non-medical Professions' Review

Lord Warner: My right honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Health has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	On 27 January I announced that the Chief Medical Officer for England had agreed to carry out a review of the revalidation of doctors and related matters, following concerns expressed by Dame Janet Smith in her fifth report from the Shipman inquiry. Dame Janet focused her inquiries, as her remit required, on the medical profession. However, if changes are proposed to the arrangements for doctors, it is likely that they will have important implications for the regulatory arrangements for the other health professions, particularly where their roles are changing. And there may be other implications. I have therefore asked Mr Andrew Foster, director of Workforce, to lead a review of non-medical professional regulation. This review will run in parallel to the review into medical issues being conducted by Sir Liam Donaldson. It will consider and advise me about the measures needed to:
	strengthen procedures for ensuring that the performance or conduct of non-medical health professionals and other healthcare staff does not pose a threat to patient safety or the effective functioning of services, particularly focusing on the effective and fair operation of fitness to practise procedures;
	ensure the operation of effective systems of continuing professional development and appraisal for non-medical healthcare staff and make progress towards regular revalidation where this is appropriate; and
	ensure the effective regulation of healthcare staff working in new roles within the healthcare sector and of other staff in regular contact with patients.
	In the light of the above, it will further consider and recommend any changes needed to the role, structure, functions and number of regulators of non-medical healthcare professional staff. The director of Workforce is likely to report his conclusions and recommendations to me towards the end of the year.
	As with CMO's review, there will be an advisory group, which will include experts from non-medical regulators and from the NHS. A larger reference group, which will include education and training bodies and professional organisations as well as consumer and healthcare quality interests, will also support this process.
	The members of the advisory group are:
	Andrew Foster (Chair) Director of Workforce, Department of Health (DH)
	Chris Beasley Chief Nursing Officer
	Kay East Chief Health Professions Officer
	Professor Sue Hill Chief Scientific Officer
	Professor Raman Bedi Chief Dental Officer
	Dr Jim Smith Chief Pharmaceutical Officer
	Harry Cayton Director of Patient and Public, DH
	Jane Wesson Chairman, Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE)
	Sandy Forrest Director, CHRE
	Steve Barnet Director, NHS Employers
	Alastair Henderson Deputy Director, NHS Employers
	Jonathan Asbridge President, Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
	Sarah Thewlis Chief Executive, NMC
	Norma Brook President, Health Professions Council (HPC)
	Marc Seale Chief Executive, HPC
	Nic Greenfield Deputy Director of Workforce, DH
	Steve Catling Head of Professional Standards, DH